private eye

SEE SYNONYMS FOR private eye ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Slang.

a private detective.

Origin of private eye

1935–40; eye, allusive phonetic rendering of I, abbreviation of investigator

Words nearby private eye

private detective, private duty nurse, private enterprise, private equity, private equity fund, private eye, private finance initiative, private first class, private health insurance, private hotel, private income

Words related to private eye

sleuth, agent, cop, snoop, tail, P.I., bloodhound, dick, peeper

British Dictionary definitions for private eye

private eye

noun

informal a private detective

Idioms and Phrases with private eye

private eye

A privately employed detective, as opposed to one working for the police or another authority. For example, The children loved stories about private eyes, and Janey wanted to become one. This expression comes from the term private investigator, the “i” of investigator being changed to “eye,” which plays on the idea of a person looking into things. [1930s]